Sony Rumbles with New Dualshock 3 Controller

Following widespread rumors and leaks, today Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai unveiled the Dual Shock 3 controller for the PlayStation 3. As had been widely rumored, the controller will feature the same rumble technology Sony had initially dismissed as "last-gen" when the tilt-sensitive Sixaxis was first shown off in 2006. Its announcement comes six months after Sony and Immersion Corporation agreed to cooperate after a lengthy--and costly--legal battle over the Dual Shock 2's force-feedback tech.

PLAYSTATION 3 TITLES COMPATIBLE WITH DUAL SHOCK 3 IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE (as of 9/20/07):

Assassin's Creed / Ubisoft
Beowulf / Ubisoft
BlackSite: Area 51 / Midway
Blast Factor * / Sony Computer Entertainment
Burnout Paradise / Electronic Arts
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena / Vivendi Games
Club / Sega
Condemned 2 / Sega
Cops (Codename, Title Name TBD) Pyro
Crucible / Sega
Dark Sector / D3Publisher
Darkness / 2K Games
Destroy All Humans 3 THQ
Devil May Cry 4 / Capcom
Dynasty Warriors 6 / Koei
Echochrome / Sony Computer Entertainment
Elefunk / Sony Computer Entertainment
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars / Activision
Fatal Inertia / Koei
FIFA Franchise (Title Name TBD) / Electronic Arts
Folklore* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Formula One Championship Edition* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Girpshift / Sony Online Entertainment
Go! Sports Ski* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Haze / Ubisoft
Heavenly Sword* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Heroes Over Europe / Red Mile Entertainment
High Velocity Bowling / Sony Computer Entertainment
Highlander / Eidos
Incredible Hulk / Sega
Iron Man / Sega
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men / Eidos
Legendary: The Box / Gamecock
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots / Konami
MLB 08: The Show / Sony Computer Entertainment
MotorStorm* / Sony Computer Entertainment
NBA 08* / Sony Computer Entertainment
NBA 2K8 / Take Two Sports
N-Cube / Creat Studios
PAIN / Sony Computer Entertainment
Planet One (Codename, Title Name TBD) Pyro
Prototype / Vivendi Games
RAGE / Id Software
Rat Race / Sony Computer Entertainment
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction / Sony Computer Entertainment
Resident Evil 5 / Capcom
Resistance: Fall of Man* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Snakeball / Sony Computer Entertainment
SOCOM: Confrontation / Sony Computer Entertainment
Soldier of Fortune / Activision
Stuntman Ignition / THQ
Super Stardust HD* / Sony Computer Entertainment
TNA Wrestling / Midway
To End All Wars / Ghostlight
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2* / Ubisoft
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas* / Ubisoft
Toy Home / Sony Computer Entertainment
Turok / Disney Interactive
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune / Sony Computer Entertainment
Unreal Tournament 3 / Midway
Warbit / Creat Studios
Wardevil: Unleash the Beast Within / Ignition Entertainment
Warhawk* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Wheelman / Midway
Wipeout HD / Sony Computer Entertainment

LIST OF PLAYSTATION 3 TITLES COMPATIBLE WITH DUAL SHOCK 3 IN JAPAN (as of 9/20/07):
Vampire Rain: Altered Species / AQ INTERACTIVE Inc.
BIOHAZARD 5 (Resident Evil 5) / Capcom
Blast Factor* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Bumpy Trot 2 / Irem Software.
Burnout Paradise / Electronic Arts
Dark Sector / D3Publisher.
Devil May Cry 4 / Capcom
Dynasty Warriors 6 / Koei
Echochrome / Sony Computer Entertainment
Fatal Inertia / Koei
FIFA Franchise (Title Name TBD) / Electronic Arts
Folklore* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Formula One Championship Edition* / Sony Computer Entertainment
GI JOCKEY 4 2007 / Koei
Go! Sports Ski* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Heavenly Sword* / Sony Computer Entertainment
IMABIKISOU / Sega
Metal Gear Online / Konami
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots / Konami
MotorStorm* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction / Sony Computer Entertainment
Resistance: Fall of Man* / Sony Computer Entertainment
Super Stardust HD* / Sony Computer Entertainment
TOY HOME / Sony Computer Entertainment
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune / Sony Computer Entertainment

Continue reading the article at Gamespot.

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Grand Theft Auto IV delayed until spring 2008

Take-Two announced on Thursday that GTA4 for PS3 and Xbox 360 would be delayed until April 2008 at the earliest due to requiring additional development time. As a result, company shares (not to mention gamer hopes) dropped 13 percent on the news.

"Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

"We are very disappointed to reduce guidance after having previously reaffirmed it," added chief executive Ben Feder in a statement to investors.

The game, originally scheduled for release in October, will miss out on big holiday sales, likely dealing a blow to both Microsoft and Sony in the process as Grand Theft Auto IV was expected to be one of year's biggest selling games.

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Sony Sued Over PS3 | Again

We just lost track of the number of people who have tried to sue Sony over the PS3 and/or Blu-Ray. Suffice to say, it's loads. Now, it's loads +1.

Parallel Processing Corporation claim that the PS3's fancy Cell chip violates a patent they filed all the way back in 91 for something with "synchronized parallel processing with shared memory". The suit was filed on July 26 in Texas, and whines that the PS3 is "causing irreparable harm and monetary damage".

Read more of it at Sony facing another PS3 suit

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No Gears of War for PS3

Epic Games confirm that Gears of War is not coming for PS3

Despite the rumors started by 1UP's podcast that Epic Games plans to port the Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War to the PS3, it is imperative that Epic has no such intentions.

Epic's Mark Rein recently contacted PSX Extreme to clarify the matter. In short? Complete nonsense.

"We've shot down this Gears of War on PS3 idea about a hundred times already - Microsoft is the publisher for Gears of War. Unless Microsoft wants to publish it on PS3, then it won't be published on PS3."

So there you have it folks. The Gears of War PS3 rumor has been squashed like a lifeless bug. Sorry Sony fans.

Get more rumor updates by subscribing to the Gamers World Bangladesh Blog Feed/Newsletter.

You might wish to buy Gears Of War on Xbox 360.

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Sony plans PS3 Price Drop 60GB PS3 $499, 80GB due in August

Sony confirms price drop, says new $599 model bundled with MotorStorm coming next month--and will use software for backwards compatibility.

On July 8 2007, Sony confirmed to GameSpot that a fusillade of reports from US retailers had augured last week. As of July 9, the PlayStation 3's North American price point is going south. The next-generation console will cost $499 in the US and $549 in Canada, the same price as the discontinued 20GB model.

So far, the price drop is for North America only. "This news does not affect any other PS3 territory," said Dave Karraker, Sony Computer Entertainment America. However, a spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe added, "We are making an announcement at E3 on Thursday which will be related to SCEA's announcement."

The price drop announcement was accompanied by more unexpected news: The 80GB PS3, previously only available in South Korea, is also headed stateside. The larger-capacity system will go on sale in August for $599, and will have all the functionality of the 60GB model except backwards compatibility hardware. Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton confirmed to GameSpot that the 80GB PS3 will instead use software emulation to play PlayStation 2 and original PlayStation games.

To help stifle complaints that $100 might be a bit much to pay for 20GB more of hard disc space, Sony is releasing a "limited edition" bundle which packages the console with the off-road racer MotorStorm, which currently retails for $59.99.

The price drop further indicates that, after a slow start, Sony is now aggressively trying to expand its customer base in the US. The move comes none too soon. According to the latest figures from industry-research firm the NPD Group, the PS3 sold only 82,000 units in the US in May, compared to the Xbox 360's 155,000 units and the Wii's 338,000 units. Ironically, the console's predecessor, the PlayStation 2, was the month's fourth-best-selling platform with 188,000 units, just behind the PlayStation Portable's 221,000 units.

Will the $100 price drop turn the PS3's fortunes around? "Even with a $100 drop, the PS3 is still the high-end console," Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian told GameSpot. "But price cuts typically generate incremental demand, and I don't think this situation will be any different. Bottom line, this may not be enough to kick-start PS3 sales into the mass market--but it's a good first step."

Is this a desperate move by Sony to rack up more sales or is it just one of the tricks up their sleeve? I'll leave this for you to decide.

Source: Gamespot

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What Everybody Should Know : Which will win in Bangladesh - the PS3 or the Xbox 360?

An in-depth analysis of the next-generation console wars in Bangladesh - which will win - the PS3 or the Xbox 360?

Yes, when the entire world rumbles around which of the new next-gen consoles is going to win the battle, we are going to actually focus on, which console suits best for Bangladeshis. As one of the major poor nations in Southeast Asia , Bangladesh is not actually considered as a profitable region for the console giants, but that never pulled back the very enthusiastic gamers in Bangladesh. We have been playing games on  PC for years. However, the consoles are merely a new notion in Bangladesh. It is unfortunate that Bangladeshi gamers started to switch to consoles for last two years. Now, many events like PS2 gaming competitions are held in the city. It is still very new to most of the people in the country. Well, the last two years have shown quite a hasty trend of gaming in consoles.  I mean, though the PS2 and Xbox took almost more than four years to get acknowledged to the hardcore and optimistic gamers of this poor nation, the new consoles are taking away the hearts of the gamers of Bangladesh pretty quick. It’s like, since the launching of PSP, already many gamers have collected PSP, and already there is market for the handheld in Dhaka. We can easily collect PSP games, both original, and non-original, from Banani, Gulshan, Boshundhara City and Rifles Square. As the Xbox 360 is already here, and many are showing their earnest interests, it is hoped that, we will not take very long to enter the next generation of gaming than Europe. 

So, this is the best time to provide you all the information of which will be best for you to pick up, considering the amount of money you will be spending, and give you suggestion for which you should have a go-ahead. We will also be telling you, for which should you save money, if you want to play next generation games.

Playstation has earned huge popularity in Bangladesh. Partially because of its huge inventory of gaming, lower price level and Sony as a branded Asian manufacturer. But is the Playstation 3 going to serve up to the expectations?? To answer that question we will have to take a closer look. 

STEP 1: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PS3 AND THE XBOX 360

	PLAYSTATION 3	XBOX 360
Console Type	Home Console	Home Console
Platform	PlayStation 3	Xbox 360
Gaming Type	On-line and Single player * Multiplayer	On-line and Single player * Multiplayer
Processor	3.2 GHz Cell	3.2 GHz Triple Core IBM PowerPC
Installed RAM	256 MB of 3200 MHz XDR	512 MB of 700 MHz GDDR3
Installed Cache Memory	512 KB	1 MB
Memory Bus Bandwidth	25.6 GB/sec	22.4 GB/sec
Display
Max. Resolution	1920X1080	1280X1080
Graphics
Graphics Processor	NVIDIA RSX	Custom ATI Graphics Processor
Polygons per second	75 Million	500 Million
Storage
Hard Drive Size	60 GB	20 GB, 120 GB
Optical Drive Type	Blu Ray Disc (BD-ROM)	DVD-ROM standard, High Definiton DVD (HD-DVD ROM) optional
Optical Drive Speed	24x (CD), 8x (DVD)	12x (DVD)
Audio
Audio Support	Dolby Digital 5.1	256 Audio Channels, Dolby Digital 5.1, 3D Sound Support (64 3D Channels), Macronix 16 Bit
Audio Out	Line Out, Digital Out (Optical) Connector, HDMI out x2	Multi-channel surround sound output
Technical Features
Communication Type	Bluetooth, 802.11b, 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0	802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, USB 2.0
Expansion Slots	SD Card, Memory Stick, Compact Flash	Xbox Memory Card Slot
Wireless Capabilities	802.11b, 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0	802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g
Input/Output Ports	RJ-45, 4x USB	3x USB, 2x Memory Unit Slots
DVD Movie Playback	Yes	Yes
Dimensions
Height	3.86in	3.27in
Depth	10.79in	10.16in
Width	12.8in	12.17in
Weight	11.02lb	7lb
Miscellaneous
External Colour	Silver, Black	White, Black
Release Date	November 2006	December 2005

 

Now, if you look at the comparison, you will see that both of the machines are extremely powerful. In some areas, one may slim down and the other soars up, but they provide quite the same performance. There have been debates and many talks about this, because,  hey it is a battlefield.

The largest contrast between the two machines is maybe, that the PS3 is equipped with a next-gen Blue-ray DVD ROM, whether the X360 only comes with a current-gen DVD-ROM (optional HD-DVD ROM). Still, that doesn’t make the PS3 better. We will see it shortly.

STEP 2: COMPARISON OF PRICES IN BANGLADESH

Now for the most important part. The price of PS3 is minimum 500 US dollars, while the Xbox 360 is nearly 400 dollars or less. There is a cheaper edition of X360 which is lesser than this price, and the next price range for the PS3 is 600 dollars. In Bangladesh, the price of X360 is now, 40 thousand taka. Don’t freak out. Where from US you buy it for 28 thousand Bangladeshi taka, the price is almost 40 thousand because an electronic converter and a game are added here. So, the retailers are making profit of around 4 thousand here, now. However, things are about to change. It is predicted, that the price will drop within five months in Bangladesh as soon as the games are available. One reason is maybe that Microsoft is bringing the console to India in September (or November), for 20 thousand rupee. Things get easier for us then. So, it can be hoped that in the beginning of next year, we can grab a console for 32 thousand taka, or a little less or more.

Now, considering the X360’s price, the price of the PS3 can get more than 50 or 60 thousand taka in Bangladesh. You can freak out now. The consoles are almost identical. Then why is the huge price difference??

It is because of the added Blue-ray DVD in PS3. For X360, you may have to upgrade it later, adding another 200-300 dollar, but hey, you might not need it for the next four years. You can not also forget the fact that you live in Bangladesh. So, it is totally on you, whether you want to spend almost double the amount behind PS3 (not to mention, the games are more expensive for it), or you can purchase an Xbox 360. It is pretty risky to go for  a PS3, because you do not know when and will will the games available in Bangladesh run on the console or not. We can get pretty sure about the Xbox 360, because, there are games already that are being sold for 5000 taka and the pirated ones cost around 800 taka. It is still impossible for us to buy, but this is still not the time. We are trying to make the retailers come into the GAME RENTAL business like US, and it will happen. We all have to pursue the retailers, if we want to play the next generation games. With it we will be spending not more then 300- 400 taka primarily, for a week. We can rent the original games, being a member of the shops and can play new games.  So, Xbox 360 is clever decision to go for. PS3 might not see any light in this country, for next three years. If considering all this, you are thinking of buying a new PC, look at the comparison back again, and then talk. The price of a PC with such a configuration is even higher then PS3. There is also a risk, that the games might not run. The consoles assure us, that we will be playing.

STEP 3: COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE AND GAMES

Gamer TV has shown some exclusives on both of the consoles, and did let the gamers decide, if there is any difference can be noticed. I must admit, watching the exclusives, I even failed to differ them. Yes, the games provide similar performance on both consoles. “Sonic: the hedgehog” is the game that they used, in an attempt to provide some significant graphical differences. They failed.

Now if you consider the games, as a Bangladeshi, I will again go for Xbox 360. We have always been fascinated by good games that Sony has provided. Everyone loves PS2’s “Metal Gear Solid” series. Sony will be bringing the next generation of MGS, in PS3, but hey, most other games will be in X360 format, too; and also, to beat MGS4 or Devil may cry 4, there will be Gears of War and GTA 4. Yes, people, GTA 4 is coming to X360 later this year. Also many other great games are already there in X360, like G.R.A.W. or Elder scrolls 4: oblivion. Two similar GTA games like Saints Row, and Crackdown, is coming to X360, even before the PS3 launches. This is because, in US X360 has already sold 5 million copies, and that makes it a safer platform for the developers to maximise their revenue and thus profits. From next year, be sure that all the great titles will be for both platforms.

To make you sure about the visual appearance of two rival companies two biggest title, I’m providing you a screenshot from gears of war and MGS4. You decide which one looks better, or that both are almost same.

 

Gears of War Xbox 360 Screenshot

Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 Screenshot

STEP 4: THE FUTURE OF GAMING IN BANGLADESH

Now, as you have considered everything, you see that the cheapest is the X360, and it is better to go for it. Because with the huge inventory of games and even before the release of PS3, it may become the next PS2. It is because already there are many games and, by November 2006, X360 may have hundred titles in its inventory. Therefore, we suggest Xbox 360 will win the game market in Bangladesh, by next year. It is better for you to hope for an X360. As a middle class guy, I suggest, it is the best suited for me.

In Bangladesh we have always relied on alternatives. However, modding of these consoles may not be possible. If anyone claims that they have earned success in modding the consoles that may put us even into more delicate situation. The cheaper games may not work, or the modded ones may not work. Meanwhile, we loose our warranties, by modding and modded consoles are being banned from Xbox Live. Therefore, it is high time that we lure the retailers into Game rental business, and make them understand the huge profit they can gain from the high profile games of next generation. It is really lucrative. A retailer can earn back the money spend behind an original disc within two and a half months, and earn extra profit from the games by renting it. It is like, if they can rent a game for five months, they can collect double the amount that they are selling for. This business is so lucrative, that anyone can get involved into this business. University students can try investing in it too. Even, any entrepreneur can set up this rental business, and high profit can earned from it.

All the people out there, if you think that upgrading your PC is good enough then you are wrong. You will only waste your money. Come on people. If you can spend 25 thousand taka behind a PSP, or around 30 thousand taka in upgrading your PC, you can spend 30 thousand taka behind the next generation of gaming, behind these super consoles. It is ensured, that they will be providing you next-generation gaming for the next 5 years atleast. Do not forget, a merely eleven thousand taka priced PC is good enough for doing the regular works, now-a-days. The consoles are for gaming, not the PC’s.

So, talk your nearby retailer today into it, or think about investing in this business. Others try to sum up at least 30 thousand taka. You will surely be bringing home the XBOX 360very soon, the next generation of gaming. 

RELATED ARTICLES:

You Thought Wrong: Why the PS3 won't lose out in the next gen console wars

Burning Question: Has the PS3 already lost in the next-gen console wars?

7 Ways the Xbox 360 Beats the PS3

Article written by guest writer Raisul Islam
No responsibility is taken for the individual views expressed here

 

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Manhunt 2 gets "Adults Only" Rating

Earlier today, the British Board of Film Classification gave Manhunt 2 a thumbs down, banning it from sale in the UK due to its "unremitting bleakness" and "casual sadism." Now it appears the Entertainment Software Rating Board is ready to hand down its own most restrictive rating to the latest controversial offering from Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games.

A Take-Two representative told GameSpot today that the ESRB has issued an initial rating of AO for Adults Only to Manhunt 2. While not an outright ban, the rating would severely limit a game's sales potential, as most major American retailers have chosen not to carry games rated AO.


As for the reason this is only an "initial" rating, when the ESRB rates a game, it notifies the publisher 30 days prior to publicly releasing its decision. This gives publishers unhappy with ratings the chance to either modify their games and resubmit them for a second assessment, or go before the ESRB's appeals board to challenge it directly.

"We believe the process of rating video games is to help people make informed entertainment choices and not to limit them," a Take-Two representative said. "Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2."

While Take-Two doesn't agree with the idea of an AO-rated Manhunt 2, one parent watchdog group believes it's only appropriate. Earlier today, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood demanded that the ESRB give Manhunt 2 an AO rating, saying that "harmful effects of ultra-violent video games on children will be magnified by playing them on the interactive Nintendo Wii system."

The group's announcement contained a statement from Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston, who explained, "The content of Manhunt 2 and the unique physical interaction with the Wii control combine to take [the game's simulation] a level closer to reality--we can expect that the effects of this experience will be even greater."

The group directed like-minded individuals to contact ESRB president Patricia Vance with their concerns, and Vance today issued her response.

"We have received the letter from CCFC and, while we might take issue with some of the statements made within, we sincerely appreciate their expressed concerns," Vance said. "Our ratings are intended to provide guidance that allows parents to choose games they deem suitable for their children, and that is a responsibility we take extremely seriously."

Manhunt 2 is currently slated for a July 10 release on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii.

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NFS heads to a new direction : PROSTREET

EA Blackbox is at it again. After the release of Carbon, EA has announced that another NFS series is in the works, dubbed NFS : ProStreet. With ProStreet, EA has decided to drop out its stereotypical "control the city by taking on the top dogs" setting for a more real-life experience of street racing today. Gone are the arcade type underground racings, replace by more realistic races, cars that hadnle as it should and close quarter day light courses. "We’re trying to reflect what we see the culture doing. The culture is really moving away from that bling, the neon, the fast and the furious thing; the cars that ride on trailers but don’t actually ever ride on the track.", said Black Box producer John Dyle in an interview with Gameinformer.

But the wide array of cars, and, ofcourse, the hot girls are here to stay. And so is the widely popular "Autosculpt" feature. Although there will be no "cheesy" cutscenes as in the previous games, but, EA has promised that there will be some sort of motivation to keep players pushing forward.

The main highlight of the game is the car damage system and physics. Cars now crash more realistically and with visible damages, including flipping them, rolling them and totaling them.

Sadly for gamers, the police is out of the scene in NFS Prostreet. "This year that consequence is really driven by damage. This game is about your ability to build and drive fantastically powerful cars and that’s where we wanted to keep our focus."

I'm pretty excited about NFS ProsStreet. I think the pull away from night-time arcade type racings is going to pay off. Lets just wait and see.

For more images, visit: http://www.ea.com/nfs/prostreet/media.jsp?locale=us

For the full interview with EA Blackbox producer John Dyle, head on to: http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200706/N07.0601.1611.06445.htm

For the officila trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=19790&type=mov

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PS3 sells one million in PAL region

Just to show you that the PS3 is back in business

A few moments ago, Gamespot.com has just confirmed that just about a few weeks back, the PS3 has sold more than a million weeks in the UK, Europe and Australasia. "This makes the console faster-selling than either of Sony's previous living room machines, the original PlayStation or the PS2."

Gamespot also quoted that Resistance: Fall of Man was the top seller so far, having shifted some 600,000 units, and MotorStorm is revving in second place with a total of approximately 500,000 sales.

The PS3 broke UK console records by selling 165,000 units in the first two days it was on sale in the UK, the second best debut only to the handheld PlayStation Portable. It was also announced in April that the console had reached the 800,000 milestone, with CEO Howard Stringer commenting, "We came into the [European market] with more games, and perhaps we lived up to the expectations in Europe in a way that perhaps we didn't in Japan."

Now I am not (note was) a Sony fan. I just bought a 360 after my PS2. But it goes to show that all you speculators (inlcuding me) underestimated Sony. But who knows? It might be all different in this fierce battle.

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Burning Question: Has the PS3 already lost in the next-gen console wars?

The answer might be more surprising than you think.

If you read the gaming blogs during the PS3 launch, Sony was dead on arrival. It certainly wasn't the smoothest of launches, with console shortages, already lofty pricetags inflated due to eBay auctions, no online strategy to rival Xbox Live, and a dearth of compelling games for the nascent machine.

The PS3 - out even before it started?

But did the PS3 really limp out of the gate that badly? Putting its initial sales up against its direct competitor, the Xbox 360, the numbers tell a different tale. According to NPD Group data, the PS3 sold approximately 902,000 consoles during its first three months in the US. The Xbox 360 sold 50,000 fewer consoles during its first three month in the US, coming in at roughly 854,000. Comparing the PS3 with its highly successful predecessors, it outsold both the PSone and PS2 during the same time frame. So why the doom and gloom surrounding Sony?

It seems the PS3 outsold the X360 and even its predecessors, the PSone and PS2 during the same time frame.

"The media are plain stupid," says Michael Pachter, analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities. "People are being overly critical on how well it's doing mostly because their expectation for what the sales should have been were too high."

Billy Pidgeon, an analyst with IDC, agrees that Sony received an overabundance of criticism. One of the other problems facing Sony was the overwhelming success of it current heavyweight, the PS2. "The fact of the matter us that the PS2 is still entrenched," says Pidgeon. "That is Sony's biggest problem for the PS3. What is the incentive to buy PS3 when you can still get great titles like God of War II for PS2?"

"I expect the Wii and Xbox 360 to stay in the lead in North America for the next two years," says Pidgeon. Where that flips is in 2010, 2011, where the Ps3 has a huge install base and surpasses [Nintendo and Microsoft] while they are prepping their next boxes."

"I think [the PS3] ends up in first," says Patcher. "But all three consoles will all have 30 percent or greater market share, and all of them will win."

Readers, what is your reaction to this? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Photo courtesy of http://theconsolewars.blogspot.com

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You Thought Wrong: Why the PS3 won’t lose out in the next-gen console wars

Sony has been long enough in the console business, far more than Microsoft. So it is not going to let that crown of No.1 console slip off its head, not yet.

All of the recent discussions in forums, blogs, analysts’ reactions seems to indicate that the PS3 could lose out on the next-generation console wars. But I beg so to differ.

The main dispute seems to be with the $600 price tag (although there is a cheaper version for $500). I mean no one’s ever going to spend that much money on a console, right? Why bother 600 bucks for a PS3 when there are cheaper alternatives like the X360 or the Nintendo Wii for that matter? So you’d be thinking that no one is going to bother about it in Bangladesh, right? Well you thought WRONG!

If everyone wanted the cheapest of everything, then we wouldn’t had Mercedes or BMW’s rolling down the streets of Dhaka, or first-class flights, or the A380, or those ridiculously expensive home theatre systems for that matter! Now ask yourself. Did that price tag on the expensive T-Shirt hold you back on purchasing it? The Nintendo Gamecube is a whole lot cheaper than the PS2, but did you buy it? I don’t think so.

And besides, the extra price is for the Blu-Ray Disc reader that you’d be getting. For the X360, you have to spend around 200-300 dollars for the optional HD-DVD reader. And the launching price of anything is unreasonably high. The only ones who is going to get the console with its launching price are those who are plain stupid (and with tons of money). As time goes on, the price is surely to drop, I mean its basic Economics! Case in point: The PS2 cost around $500 as it was released in the US in 1999. But look now, you can get it for less than 200 bucks! So I am definitely sure that the price will go down.

The next seems to be about the Blu-Ray discs. It has “that” state of the art copyprotection technologies that everyone is fearing, so that pirates have a hard time cracking it. Well, it is going to take some time for pirated discs to appear. But nobody said it is not going to! And did you ever think once about what the No.1 piracy hater Microsoft is going to put in their HD-DVD discs?

The PC games that come with SecureRom, StarForce, etc. employ the toughest copy protection technologies (to date), but did that stop pirated discs from appearing? No! You can play those games just as well. And stop moaning if no-one can’t pirate your favourite PS3 game – it will save the game publishers billions of dollars in lost revenue and you can finally play it over the internet.

So in the end, Sony might win again in the console wars. My predictions are that Sony will claim the first spot, with Microsoft at second and Nintendo at third (as usual). I am no analyst here, it’s just my opinion from the years of experience I had with games and technology. But then again, this is a dog-eat-dog business, so we might even see Nintendo in the 1st spot. Yeah right, that’ll happen. When cars fly.

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